Limpopo premier should ‘take special leave to allow graft probe’

Calls are mounting for Limpopo premier Stan Mathabatha to take special leave in order to allow investigations into allegations of corruption against him to run without any interference.

The plea comes after the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) in Limpopo laid charges of corruption against him last Wednesday.

“We can confirm that there is an inquiry of allegations of corruption laid against the office of the premier of Limpopo Mr Stan Mathabatha by Nehawu Limpopo,” Hawks national spokeswoman Colonel Katlego Mogale said on Tuesday.

Nehawu alleged Mathabatha was an accessory to crime because he failed to take action against several tender irregularities and malfeasance in his office.

Nehawu provincial secretary Jacob Adam said knowing that corruption was taking place and doing nothing was tantamount to committing crime.

“Mathabatha was quite aware of the criminal activities taking place in his office. But yet he chose not only to ignore, but he instead also failed to take action against those involved,” he said.

“Mathabatha must just face the music like any other citizen. Ironically, it is Mathabatha himself who claimed he would fight corruption head-on when he took the reigns nearly a decade ago.

“But we are yet to see what he did about the escalating corruption taking place right in his watch. This is not a war, all we want is action and not talks and promises.”

Democratic Alliance provincial spokesman Risham Maharaj on Tuesday called on Mathabatha to “disclose all companies awarded contracts by his office for the past three years, including their boards of directors, value of each contract, the service being provided and the status of the contract”.

Mathabatha’s spokesman, Willy Mosoma, said Nehawu’s claims were far-fetched and unsubstantiated. “We’re not shaken by their empty threats. We know the Hawks will never investigate senseless charges…”

– news@citizen.co.za

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.